Governor Hickenlooper, Rolling Stone’s Chuck Leavell, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke & Local Thought Leaders Join to Deliberate Colorado’s Forests

Partnerships, Working Together Highlighted During Jan. 24 Premier of ‘America’s Forests with Chuck Leavell’

DENVER – Chuck Leavell may be best known as the keyboardist and musical director for The Rolling Stones, but he is also an educated and enthusiastic forestry advocate, conservationist and tree farmer, and host of the new national TV series, America’s Forests with Chuck Leavell. He was joined by national and local thought leaders at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on Jan. 24 for the debut of the new episode featuring stories and public benefits from Colorado’s forests, along with robust discussion about challenges, opportunities and innovations happening within our forests.

The search for solutions to the problems of sustainable growth, climate change and energy conservation is increasingly inspiring thought leaders to look at one of America’s finest resources — our forests. Whether for building or for recreation, our forests are good for the economy and for the spirit. —  said Leavell

Timed to coincide with the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, conversations on forest health, management and utilization took place with Leavell, Governor John Hickenlooper, Tony Tooke, Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, and Chris Topik, Director of Forest Restoration at The Nature Conservancy. Following the premier of the Colorado episode, an intimate fireside chat was hosted by Leavell alongside Brian Ferebee, Regional Forester for the Rocky Mountain Region of U.S. Forest Service; Jim Neiman, President and CEO of Neiman Enterprises; and Paige Lewis, Deputy Director/Director of Conservation of the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

While diverse constituencies were represented, a number of consistent themes emerged including the crucial importance of public-private partnerships in shared stewardship of our lands, implementing proactive and innovative strategies to manage our lands versus reactive, and the opportunities that are available through maintaining multi-use lands.

Public and private partners across the country are working hand-in-hand to both care for and create sustainable solutions using wood from our forests. This important work is vital to a healthy forest environment that provides world-class recreation, wildlife habitats and scenic beauty. — said Bruce Ward, president of Choose Outdoors

Following the premier, the Colorado episode first aired on Rocky Mountain PBS and is now online for viewing at americasforestswithchuckleavell.com. The episode includes segments on the therapeutic value of our forests, the importance of forests to our water supply and the innovative ideas on turning the wood from forests devastated by the mountain pine beetle epidemic into musical instruments, skis, snowboards and sustainable building applications.

The series is produced by Choose Outdoors and 42 Degrees North Media and the Colorado episode was made possible with support from the USDA Forest Service, Denver Water, Colorado State Forest Service, Intermountain Forest Association, El Pomar Foundation, Rocky Mountain PBS and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Gardner Requests Delay of Proposed National Park Fee Increase

Washington D.C. — Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO)  sent a letter to Department of Interior Secretary Zinke requesting he “delay the implementation of and work with the stakeholders on the proposed targeted fee increase at 17 National Parks.”

“While I share your urgency on the need to address the park maintenance backlog, I have concerns that sudden and dramatic increases in the costs of passes for both private individuals and commercial operations could have unforeseen negative consequences on the communities that rely on visitation to these parks to keep their economies thriving,” wrote Gardner. “Additionally, I have serious concerns about the elimination of day pass at RMNP.”

The letter reads in full:

Dear Secretary Zinke:

I write to request that you delay the implementation of and work with the stakeholders on the proposed targeted fee increase at 17 National Parks. One of the parks where a fee increase has been proposed, Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), is in the state of Colorado and if the proposal moves forward as written, RMNP would be subject to an increase of over 100% and 400% on private and commercial passes, respectively, while also eliminating day passes.

While I share your urgency on the need to address the park maintenance backlog, I have concerns that sudden and dramatic increases in the costs of passes for both private individuals and commercial operations could have unforeseen negative consequences on the communities that rely on visitation to these parks to keep their economies thriving. Additionally, I have serious concerns about the elimination of day pass at RMNP.

RMNP is unique in that it is the only national park in the country that currently issues a daily pass. Coloradoans love their public lands, and a great number of RMNP visitors are day-trippers from the front-range. In 2016, day passes represented 70% of the total number of passes issued, and were responsible for 50% of the fee revenue generated by all passes. I do not believe the elimination of this pass would increase either visitation or revenue to the park. The more likely outcome is the purchase of more annual passes, which when purchased online do not see the park benefit from the revenue generated by the sale.

There is an urgent need to address the more than $11 billion dollar maintenance backlog on lands managed by the National Park Service, over $220 million of which is here in Colorado. However, we must ensure that any changes we make do not cause a reduction in visitation that could affect the local economies that support the parks. I oppose any immediate fee increases at RMNP and urge you to engage with the stakeholders prior to finalizing any proposal for the fee structure as well as keep the day pass that generates the most revenue for RMNP.

I stand ready and willing to work with you to find a legislative solution to the maintenance backlog that will more ably address the issue. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Cory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to meet Feb. 7 and 8 in Denver

DENVER — The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission will discuss emergency regulations to add the redclaw crayfish to the list of species that food production facilities may possess in Colorado, an update on Chronic Wasting Disease, and herd management plan drafts for deer in the Lower Rio Grande, North Fork Gunnison and South Grand Mesa areas at its February meeting.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and adjourn at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 at 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216. The Commission will reconvene at the same location at 8:30 a.m. and adjourn at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 8.  

Additional agenda items include:

• Overview of information required for sales in CPW’s new purchasing system
• Trap and transplant proposals from CPW’s Terrestrial Programs Supervisor
• Update from Great Outdoors Colorado
• Support for Land and Water Conservation Funds Reauthorization with CPW’s State Trails Program Manager

A complete agenda for this meeting can be found on the CPW website, http://cpw.state.co.us.

The commission meets regularly and travels to communities around the state to facilitate public participation. Anyone can listen to commission meetings through the CPW website. This opportunity keeps constituents informed about the development of regulations and how the commission works with Parks and Wildlife staff to manage the parks, wildlife and outdoor recreation programs administered by the agency. Find out more about the commission on the CPW website.

The next commission meeting will take place March 7 and 8 in Denver.

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